Family of Indian rape victim calls for death penalty

Updated
January 01, 2013 09:38:00

The family of the young Indian student who died after being viciously beaten and raped wants those found responsible to be sentenced to death. After a wave of protests across the country, the Indian government has vowed to toughen rape laws and do more to protect women. But already, it's accused of failing to live up to those promises.

TIM PALMER: The family of the young Indian woman who died after being viciously beaten and raped wants those found responsible to be sentenced to death.

Six men face murder charges over the attack on the 23-year-old student.

India's government has vowed to toughen rape laws and do more to protect women.

But already, it's accused of failing to live up to those promises.

South Asia correspondent Michael Edwards reports.

(Crowds shout in protest)

MICHAEL EDWARDS: Days after the death of the 23-year-old woman, people are still heading into central New Delhi to voice their frustrations. They want justice and they want better protection for women.

VOX POP 1: Everywhere around us there are the smaller rapes happening. We have to sort them out as well, we don't have to wait for the big rape to happen.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The identity of the young woman - who has been dubbed Nirbhaya or 'Braveheart' - is still under wraps. But her family has spoken to an Indian newspaper.

Her father told The Indian Express that the family is struggling to cope with their grief.

Her brother told the newspaper he is seething with anger and that the family wants the death penalty handed out to those who carried out the attack.

More than 250,000 sexual assaults happen every year in India, and the government is facing a rising tide of anger.

VOX POP 2: I think every time a rape happens in this city, we all you know get excited and then the government makes all these promises but there's no follow through.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The government has proposed tougher laws, including 30 year jail terms for rapists and chemical castration.

New Delhi's government has also introduced a special hotline for women to call if they are threatened.

But already there are problems - no-one was answering when people called the '181' distress number and those calling for better services weren't impressed.

Dr Ranjana Kumari from the Centre for Social Research says she hopes the government's commitment is genuine and that it lasts.

RANJANA KUMARI: We hope and pray that it will be different because A, the society is very agitated, girls and boys have experience for years and cumulative anger, which has been expressed during this protest, and also that everybody is keeping a vigil on what promises have been made, whether they will be kept or not.

Government has been made to realise loud and clear that people are not going to sit quiet.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The government fears the violence that broke out during protests last week will return.

But Dr Kumari warns it could face serious social upheaval if it doesn't address the problem of sexual assault.

RANJANA KUMARI: At the moment, everything is within the democratic boundaries - that is people are peaceful, barring one or two evening when there was more provocation from the side of the police and people threw- pelted stones and all.

But I can't ensure that this anger will remain within the democratic boundaries. It may become very violent, because there are young people, they feel desperate, they feel angry, they are frustrated with the government response, with the response from the systems and we can't live for too long in failed systems. Systems have to be put in place.

So in future if we want to see a society which is more, you know, peaceful and democratic I think government will have to respond.

MICHAEL EDWARDS: The six men charged over the attack are due to face court early this month.